NFL's freshman class takes top honors

NFL rookies once sat quietly in the corner of locker rooms, sang their college fight songs during hazing sessions, and served as understudies for a year or two before seeing significant playing time.

That was your father's NFL.

Now, coaches and teams are more likely to throw first-year players into the fray. This season, that inclination has paid off beyond anyone's wildest projections. Analysts who follow the pro game say the current class of rookie players is the best in a decade or more – perhaps ever. The road to the playoffs and, ultimately, the Super Bowl, rides, in part, on the shoulder pads of not-so-green first-year players.

Take a look around the NFL and try to find a team that hasn't had a major impact from a rookie player or two. The most obvious example: the New Orleans Saints, a vagabond team last season, ravaged by hurricane Katrina and a lousy 3-13 record. Armed with Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush, the second overall pick in the 2006 draft, the Saints won the NFC South division in 2006, a startling turnaround.

Bush, who has dazzled as both a runner and a receiver during his debut season, is one of the rookie starters on the explosive New Orleans offense. Some experts say Bush's rookie teammate, receiver Marques Colston, possesses as much talent and potential as Bush, a frightening proposition for the rest of the league, not to mention the Chicago Bears, who take on the Saints on Sunday. Before Colston suffered a midseason injury that sidelined him for several weeks, he had become the NFL's most prolific receiver.

"This rookie class might be as good as we have seen in quite some time," says Jimmy Johnson, the retired coach whose résumé includes championships in the NFL and in the college ranks. "Look at all the great players who are actually competing for rookie of the year. It's been a great year for young players."

Johnson points to Bush and Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young as front-runners for NFL Rookie of the Year. Young, who led the Texas Longhorns to the national title last year, was the third overall pick in this year's draft. Even so, many experts questioned his ability to adapt to the pro game. They also wondered aloud whether Young could comprehend the complicated formations used in the NFL.

Several weeks into the season, the struggling Titans, who won just four games in 2005, handed the reins to their prized recruit. Young struggled at first, but then led the team to an 8-5 record as a starter, including a signature fourth-quarter comeback against the New York Giants and a win on the road in his hometown of Houston. The latter win was sweetened by the fact that the Texans, the team with the first pick in the draft last spring, passed on the opportunity to select a home-grown star – and then suffered a loss at his hands (and feet).

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